Calis Beach, in southwest Turkey, is only six kilometres from Fethiye with a transfer time of ninety minutes from Dalaman Airport. It lies around a bay on flat coastal land with a backdrop of distant hills. The long sand and pebble beach is lined with hotels, apartments, bars and restaurants. It is a fairly quiet resort where nightlife is low-key reflecting its popularity with families and couples. Holidaymakers seeking livelier entertainment can take a short taxi ride around the bay to the more vibrant resort of Fethiye.
A Calis Beach holiday provides a laid back atmosphere where beach lovers can relax in guaranteed summer sunshine, bathe in a warm clear blue sea, and enjoy a variety of leisure activities both in and out of the water.
A Calis Beach holiday is popular with families as well as couples of all ages. The resort provides a range of recreational activities, shopping for essentials with a market across the bay in Fethiye, and restaurants catering for most tastes.
The Calis Beach holiday season lasts from early spring until late autumn when the temperature range is from the twenties to the high thirties. Although the summer period is the most popular, spring and autumn are good times to visit historical sites, when the days are cooler.
Calis Beach is an ideal location for those looking for a relaxing beach holiday interspersed with water sports, eating and drinking, as well as a spot of shopping and sightseeing. The shoreline of Calis Beach is sand and shingle and the fairly narrow beach gently shelves into the clear Mediterranean providing safe conditions for children and weak swimmers. A number of water sports are available and these include wind surfing, kite surfing and snorkelling. There is also a diving school nearby. Behind the beach is a boulevard that is mainly free of traffic. Lined with shops, bars and restaurants, it is a pleasant place to take an evening stroll while watching the magnificent sunsets over the bay. There are many sightseeing opportunities in the area and these include boat trips to Dalyan with its turtle beaches and the Lycian Rock tombs where the kings of ancient Kaunos were buried. The ancient fortress overlooking Fethiye was built by the Medieval Knights of St. John and dating from the fourteenth century is well worth a visit. Families will enjoy the Sultan’s Aquacity Waterpark with exciting flumes and slides.
Calis beach nightlife is very low-key with cafes and bars along the beach front where you can enjoy beautiful sunsets. The larger hotels provide their own entertainment, often with live music and dance. Across the bay in Fethiye, there are many more, and much livelier, venues where you can party into the early hours of the morning.
Shopping in Calis Beach is limited with well stocked mini-markets providing holiday essentials along with gift and souvenir shops. There is a small market on Sundays. Take the local bus to Fethiye where you will find a large range of shops as well as a Tuesday market. Remember to barter for your goods and you will be better satisfied with your bargains. Some of the best items to buy are leather goods, carpets and silver and gold jewellery.
Being a coastal resort, there are many fish restaurants in Calis Beach serving dishes made from the freshest of local ingredients. As well as traditional eating places, there are a number of restaurants serving international cuisine.
Turkish food is very tasty and includes stuffed peppers, aubergines and vine leaves, clay-pot casseroles, kebabs and of course feta cheese, olive and tomato salads. Borek are puff pastry pies filled with meat, cheese or potatoes that make delicious snacks. Rice dishes are also popular. If you wish to sample local cuisine, try a plate of meze, the Turkish equivalent of Greek tapas, where you are given small portions of a variety of dishes.
Apart from strong black coffee, the national drink of Turkey is ‘raki’, an aniseed and liquorice flavoured alcohol.
Children are always given a warm welcome even in the more exclusive restaurants.
